http://mmajunkie.comOMAHA, Neb. – Although Jake Ellenberger isn’t guaranteed the next shot at interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit, he made one convincing case for it.

Ellenberger impressed early and then held off a late-charging Diego Sanchez to pick up a unanimous-decision victory in his home state.

The three-round bout headlined UFC on FUEL TV 1 at Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Neb. It aired on FUEL TV following a preliminary card on Facebook.

The bout kicked off with thunderous applause and chants for Ellenberger, who traded some single shots early. As the round wore on, Ellenberger mixed in some combinations and a nice knee to the body. Sanchez struggled from distance but landed a few good punches once he moved in close. However, Sanchez’s aggression cost him late in the round when Ellenberger countered with a right hand that scored a flash knockdown and then another that wobbled him.

Sanchez entered the second round with a badly injured nose. After some defensive prowess from both fighters, Ellenberger began landing more frequently with quick footwork and precise counter-striking. Sanchez initiated much of the action and landed a nice right midway through the round, but once he charged forward, Ellenberger ducked and scored the double-leg takedown. Sanchez remained active on his back and looked for submission opportunities, but Ellenberger avoided them and closed out the round with a couple heavy elbow strikes.

Ellenberger’s accuracy again frustrated Sanchez in the third round. Counter-shots landed from varying angles, and Sanchez’s trademark rushes were met with straight punches that continued to bloody his face. Sanchez connected on a nice right midway through the round that opened his opponent’s nose, but Ellenberger regrouped and landed a knee. Sanchez, though, poured on the pressure, unloaded a swarm of punches, got the fight to the mat, and continued the assault from back mount. The punches continued to mount, and the ref moved in as a precaution, but Ellenberger survived and even escaped before the round ended.

It was a bloody, knockdown, drag-out clash, but Ellenberger ultimately reigned supreme. He took the unanimous decision via 29-28 scores.

“Diego’s the toughest guy I’ve ever fought, and he’s a true warrior,” Ellenberger said. “He’s in it every minute of the fight. … It was an honor to fight him.”

Sanchez said he injured his ankle in the days leading up to the fight but vowed not to pull out of another matchup. Regardless, it was a quality win for Ellenberger, whose only loss in his past 11 fights came to Condit via split decision in his octagon debut. Condit, who recently topped Nick Diaz for the interim belt, is on the sidelines and awaiting recovering champ Georges St-Pierre.

Could Ellenberger be next, though?

“I’m not sure; it’s up to the UFC,” he said. “I just want to thank [the UFC] for giving me this privilege. It’s an honor to headline an event, especially in my hometown here in Omaha with everyone I love.”

Ellenberger (27-5 MMA, 6-1 UFC) picks up his sixth consecutive win and knocks off his second straight former UFC title challenger. Sanchez (23-5 MMA, 12-5 UFC) snaps a two-fight win streak and falls to 2-3 over his past five fights.

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